Well we have been down here in the Key West area for a couple of weeks so it was time for a road trip. Where to? Bahia Honda State Park was the destination since it is said to have the best snorkeling near the shore in this area, along with a great beach to boot!
So into the CRV with snorkel gear in tow and we headed north on the Overseas Highway till we got to the small brown sign announcing our arrival to the state park. Entry fee for this park – $9.00 – a little steep but what are you going to do, everything in the Keys is expensive. They also allow RV camping at this state park with a lot of waterfront sites for only $36.00 per night (which is a bargain down here in the Keys).
So we drove into the park near the beach and found a shady spot so we could sun when we wanted to and shade when we needed to. We donned the snorkeling gear and after about a 1 hour snorkel we were once again disappointed with the snorkeling. Now it isn’t like we didn’t see anything as one can see lobsters just about anywhere down here but there is a real lack of hard corals and not much diversity in the fishes seen in these clear blue waters.
Granted we are a bit spoiled as we have snorkeled in some wonderful places such as St. Lucia, Grand Cayman, Isle de Pins and Fiji but we were expecting much better snorkeling here in the keys than we have been able to find. Now we hear if you spend the big bucks they can take you out to a reef some 3-5 miles offshore and the snorkeling is great. Being as we have seen some great snorkeling in our past, spending 80-100 bucks to see some coral and fishes seems a bit steep for us in our new lifestyle.
So we packed up the gear and headed over to No Name Key. Its fame is that No Name Key is known for not being connected to the power grid, the endangered Key deer live here and it is most known for the No Name Pub. Said to be the oldest establishment in the lower keys (since 1936) and they proclaim to have the best pizza in the universe. We didn’t go here to test either of these claims but we came to see it and to see all the dollar bills adorning every square inch of wall and ceiling space (and to have a cold beverage or two). Neat little spot – check it out…
As we left the No Name Pub we saw a nice male Florida Key deer in velvet which simply highlighted what was an overall great day despite the lackluster snorkeling…
Maybe there weren't no nothing special to look at when y'all was a snorklin', but I.M. thinkin' there were a couple or so interestin' things to look at in that last picture y'all posted, Nilda not bein' here now, and all.
ReplyDeleteNice beaches if you're into that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful beach. Bet it's better there now than in the middle of winter. Fewer people!
ReplyDeleteWhat's with the picture of the bridge, looks like a part is missing.
ReplyDeleteFor my money nothing beats the Caymans or Virgin Isles for snorkeling. But sounds like you had a nice day at the beach.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures again. I know what you mean about snorkelling, we have seen some beautiful coral and fish and when we go to other places they just don't compare.
ReplyDeleteLucky you to see the male deer!
Kevin and Ruth
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
I never knew deer were that far down in the USA. The pictures are great. So sorry your snorkeling wasn't better.
ReplyDeleteThe snorkeling from the reef is pretty good, but not really worth the money we did it quite a few years ago on a stopover from a cruise ship. Nice to see you are enjoying the area thou.
ReplyDeleteYears ago when I was working and had some money, my snorkling sister Diana talked me into taking one of those reef tours off the Keys. The ocean was so rough that you couldn't see much in the murky water. And getting back on the boat was just plain scary. But maybe it's not always like that.
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